Online financial support for Scottish families

A Christian online giving charity is supporting families in Scotland for the first time.

Acts 435 was launched in England in 2010 to enable people to give money directly to others. A network of churches acts as the mediator between the people in need and donors who can offer money.

Whiteinch Church in Glasgow has just signed up as the first participating church in Scotland. The church posted its first request on the site for £50 to buy an electric cooker for an individual who has secured accommodation after a period of homelessness. Within hours, £40 had been raised.

Acts 435 is another expression of Whiteinch Church's efforts to support people struggling to find financial help from traditional means.

In the Whiteinch area, 81% of people are dependent on benefits or child tax, and the number of children receiving free school meals is double the average.

The church recently launched a Christians Against Poverty debt counselling centre and a foodbank. It joined Acts 435 as a way of complementing these services.

Whiteinch's Acts 435 advocate, James Renwick said: "I love what Acts 435 is about. It's such a great idea."

Margaret Sentamu, wife of the Archbishop of York and chair of Acts 435 Trustees said: "It is great news that Acts 435 is now serving people in Scotland as well as England.

"I hope that many more churches will want to join us in bringing real help to those in need. "It is important that we show Christian love through practical actions."

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